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Folkestone's special Guest

A dramatic injury time equaliser from John Guest saved the day for Folkestone Invicta as they drew 2-2 at home to second-placed Windsor & Eton at the Westbourne Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon.

GUEST got the final touch in a crowded goal mouth four minutes into stoppage time when fellow centre half Adam Flanagan headed the ball down after captain Mark Munday had dinked it in from the left hand side.

The last ditch equaliser came just moments after Windsor striker Peter Holsgrove had been sent off for a needless challenge into the back of Guest as the Invicta defender headed the ball clear on the half way line.

Holsgrove thus went from hero to zero as he had earlier put the visitors 2-1 ahead after 51 minutes for what had looked like being the winning goal.

Windsor had earlier opened the scoring through Lewis Cook after 17 minutes, but James Dryden headed Invicta level seven minutes later.

The team news was good for Invicta as strikers Simon Glover and John Ayling were both unexpectedly  passed fit, with captain Scott Lindsey (ankle) the only absentee.

Morgaro Gomis fired over for Windsor from the edge of the penalty area in the third minute.

And the visitors went ahead when COOK cut in from the right hand side and hit a low shot inside goalkeeper Tony Kessell’s near post.

But Invicta were level with a great goal after 24 minutes when top goalscorer DRYDEN leapt to head the ball into the bottom corner of the net when Paul Lamb played an inviting ball in from the left hand side.

Invicta were close again after 40 minutes when Glover lashed the ball into the side netting from the left hand side when goalkeeper Chuck Martini could not hold an Ayling shot.

22-year-old Ayling was making one last appearance for Invicta before setting off to America to embark in a scholarship in New England following 68 starting appearances for the Folkestone side and a further 120 as a substitute.

Munday played Ayling in down the left after 50 minutes, but the ball was cleared for a corner when cut back to the in-coming Glover.

Windsor regained their lead a minute later when HOLSGROVE hit a speculative shot from outside the penalty area on the right hand side which first hit the far post and then the crossbar before crossing the line.

Flanagan then made a saving tackle on Tony Reid when Gomis slid the ball through after 53 minutes.

Invicta responded and Guest shot against the crossbar from close range when Dryden nodded a Lamb corner from the right onto the far post after 54 minutes.

Glover then hit a low shot wide in the 57^th minute after skipping past two challenges.

Moroccan goalkeeper Martini then made a great save to keep out a Dryden header after 63 minutes when Micheal Everitt played the ball in from the left following a move also involving Glover and Lamb.

Invicta were creating chances, but left back Ryan Parsons was there to block when Glover played the ball through to Dryden after 71 minutes.

The visitors did not win a corner all afternoon but looked like taking all three points.

Guest was booked for dissent after going down inside the penalty area following a corner from the right after 82 minutes and that was just the start of the late drama involving the in-form 22-year-old defender.

There were also bookings for Windsor’s Gomis (clattering into Drew Watkins after 33 minutes) and defender Paul Holsgrove (late challenge on Martin Chandler after 68 minutes).

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Watkins, Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Everitt, Chandler, Munday, Dryden, Ayling (Pulman 65 mins), Glover. Unused subs: Rook, Coleman, Walker, Morrin. 

WINDSOR & ETON: Martini, Tilbury, Parsons, Skinner, Holsgrove, Gomis, Kersey, Cook, Holsgrove, Reid (Walsh 76 mins), Adams (O’Connor 59 mins).  Unused subs: Townley, Oatley, Greene.

Attendance: 374.